Intervention
by cypsiman2
Summary: Yuugi and Anzu's friends have had enough of waiting around for them to finally confess their feelings for one another, and so they stage interventions for them to kick them onto the right track.  Romantic comedy hijinks follow.  Co-written by Scribbler.


**Intervention**

**Author's Notes: **This story was an interactive fan fiction, or interfic, put together by me and Scribbler (.net/u/139401/Scribbler). You can see the fic in its original context and format at the forum she's put together here (.?board=ygointerfics&action=display&thread=5).

* * *

><p>"Other Me, where are we going?" Yuugi asked, a puzzled look in his eyes.<p>

"Partner, I've already told you this was going to be a surprise." The Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle had a smirk on his face, cultivated such that nothing precise could be read into it. The arrangements had been made while Yuugi had been napping, and now he was following an unfamiliar yet carefully memorized path down the streets of downtown Domino. "Ah, looks like we're already here, splendid!"

Yuugi could tell that his Other Self was looking at the numbers that marked the address of the small house. He himself looked at the driveway and saw a small car and a pair of motorcycles, one of which looked very familiar. "Wait, isn't that..."

"Ah, you must be Hiroto's friend." Both Yuugis' attention were drawn to the woman who'd just emerged from the door; she wore a leather jacket and short, sharp hair, and on her back she was carrying a distressingly familiar child. "I'm Akahana, his older sister. You don't look a thing like Johji here said. Most people don't." She spoke in good humor, and unlike last time, Johji now seemed quiet and meek. "Me and the tyke are going to be gone a few hours, so try to be done with your intervention before then."

"Intervention?" Yuugi was positively quizzical as he watched her put Johji into a secure compartment on the bike before getting on herself and riding off. "For who, Other Me?" The spirit, still in control of their body, was now just inside the front door.

"Yours, Partner." He closed the door shut behind him and made his way into the living room. "Good, you're all here then." Jounouchi, Honda, Bakura, and Otogi were all seated, two to a couch, and in the middle of the room was a small but comfortable looking chair, which the Spirit immediately took. "All right, time for my partner to take the stage." Before Yuugi could respond, he found himself back in control of his body, keenly feeling the eyes of his friends upon him.

"Guys, what's going on? What is this about?" Yuugi was nervous, but not worried; despite all the secrecy and shadowy movements, he knew his friends had only his best interests in mind.

"Yuugi, we've been friends for quite a while now," Jounouchi said, "and while I've kept to myself on this matter, the fact is something's got to be done about it."

"Me," Honda spoke, "you've been a better friend to me than I ever deserved, so I wouldn't feel right if I sat by and did nothing to change your situation."

"Truth be told, I don't have a lot of experience or confidence with your situation," Yuugi could tell that was Bakura before looking, "but I'm still going to try and offer my moral support."

"Seriously, what is this all about you guys?" Yuugi glanced to his Other Self, whose smirk was still as indecipherable as always.

"I suppose it's appropriate that I be the one to say it." Otogi said with his trademark cocky grin. "Yuugi, by the time we're done, you are going to confess your feelings to Anzu."

Yuugi starred blankly, unable to form a cogent response.

* * *

><p>"Hey Mai, hey Shizuka, what's this all about?" Anzu looked around Mai's apartment, small yet ritzy. Shizuka and Mai were already there, waiting for her. "You guys said you had something important that you wanted to talk to me about?" Anzu casually took a third seat, forming a semi-circle with her friends.<p>

"Hun, you're a good kid and you've got a strong will." Mai said, drinking something that she was not likely to share with a pair of teenagers. "But when it comes to romance, you're too shy and nervous for your own good."

"Wha, what?" Anzu's face turned beat red in an instant.

"I think Mai is right, Anzu." Shizuka said with an easy smile. "You and Yuugi would make such a wonderful couple, you've just got to let him know how you feel."

Anzu starred blankly, unable to form a cogent response.

"You're kidding, right?" Anzu gave a weak laugh. It cut about as much ice as a soap hacksaw. "You're not kidding."

"Not a kidding matter, chickadee." Mai took another sip and gestured with her glass. "I'll admit, I'm not exactly Numero Uno when it comes to doing the whole 'love confession' thing." Making air quotes with her fingers nearly made her spill her drink, so she placed it elegantly on the coffee table and steepled her hands beneath her chin. "But the fact of the matter is that me? Late bloomer. Still bloomed, though. Did the whole 'finding myself' shtick , figured out some key facts, hopped on my bike, zoomed back here and … well, you know the rest."

Anzu did, much to her chagrin. Jounouchi had worn the biggest grin in the world for a week after Mai's return. Not even the thought that in three weeks they would all be jetting to Egypt, to an unknown future and an even more unknown past for the Pharaoh, had been enough to dim its wattage.

Shizuka was less overt in her explanation. "We just want you to be happy, Anzu," she said softly. "You're our friend. You deserve happiness more than anyone else I know – present company excluded, of course."

Mai nodded. "Happiness. Very important. Difficult, though. Hence, the intervention."

"Intervention?" Anzu echoed. "Is that what this is? I thought I was being asked over to bake cookies together."

"You seriously bought that?" Mai said in surprise. "No offense, sweetheart, but your cooking stinks worse than my insoles."

Anzu tried not to take offense, but couldn't help the sting the words brought. She bristled slightly, before tamping down the reflex. There were more important things to deal with right now. She resettled herself in her seat and fixed a blank stare at each of her friends.

Shizuka caved first. She squirmed and picked at her socks. She had darned out a hole in one toe, the thread a shade too dark to match the fabric. "Please, Anzu. At least hear us out."

"Oh, I hear you," Anzu said tartly. "You're matchmaking me. With Yuugi, of all people."

"So?" Mai fixed her with an equally blank stare.

"For one thing, it's Yuugi. For another, it's Yuugi."

"I say again: so?"

"I've known him since forever!" Anzu made a sweeping gesture with her hand. "It'd be too weird."

"Ten."

"Huh?"

"You've known him since you were ten years old," Mai corrected. "That's hardly forever. Besides which, what does that have to do with it? You have a history together. Whoop-dee-doo. If anything, that makes you an even better match for each other."

"We're friends," Anzu insisted.

"Uh-huh." Mai didn't invest her tone with much conviction.

"What she means is, the strongest couples on the planet all started out as friends," Shizuka qualified. "Besides, Anzu, it's … well, it's pretty obvious that you both have feelings for each other that go beyond simple friendship."

"Yup." Mai folded her arms. She raised one hand, palm flattened. "This is friendship." She raised her other palm above her head. "And this is you two."

"This is ridiculous." Feeling the blush creep up her neck, Anzu stood. "I'm going home," she said stiffly. "And I'll thank you two not to get involved in my love life again."

"Anzu, we were just –"

"Your intentions may have been good," she went on, cutting Shizuka off. "But frankly you're both being really offensive and …" She clenched her fists. "If I don't leave right now, I may say something we'll all regret." She turned and walked rigidly out of the door, pausing only to slip on her shoes.

"Leave her," she heard Mai saying. "We've planted the seeds. The mood she's in, right now that's enough."

Harrumphing, Anzu stalked out.

* * *

><p>"Everyone, it's...really nice of you to do this," Yuugi said with a half-strained smile, "But I don't know what you're talking about, I don't have a crush on Anzu..." His voice drifted off, withered in the face of his friends glares.<p>

"Yuugi," Jounouchi shook his head, "You suck at lying, at least when it comes to Anzu. Duel Monsters and other games, you've got a poker face like no one else, but here comes Anzu in a miniskirt and your heart is screaming on your sleeve."

"A screaming heart?" Honda had one eyebrow raised. "Jounochi, promise me you'll never try to write poetry for Mai."

"Hey, this isn't about me and Mai, not that I would mind of course," He said with the renewal of the cocky grin he'd gotten after her sudden, unexpected return. "No, this is about helping Yuugi to get the confidence he needs for the girl of his dreams."

Yuugi felt the threat of a blush about to overtake him at the mention of the word 'dreams'. "Relax Partner," His other self said, deriving far too much amusement for Yuugi's liking, "I'm certain I had dreams just like those, nothing to be ashamed about."

"Everyone please, listen to me. Anzu and I are friends, we've been friends for years, and that's all that we are."

"How many dates Yuugi?"

"Huh?" Yuugi was startled by Otogi's sudden question.

"How many dates has Anzu gone out on?"

"And don't you count the one you set up between me and Anzu, that should have been for you." Under his other self's watchful eye, Yuugi could only give one answer.

"Well, none, but she's always busy working towards her goals and helping out at the school. And why does it even matter?"

"So busy that she can't get a single Saturday off?" Otogi waved his finger before his face. "No, she's had time, she just turns everyone down. In the short time I've known you all, I've seen her turn down twenty, thirty guys easy, some of them almost as smooth and charming as me. Yet she had no interest in them whatsoever, and in my experience a girl who'd turn down someone even halfway to my casanova status is a girl who's already got a certain guy in mind."

Yuugi gulped, it wouldn't be easy to argue against Otogi on this. "Whoever it is, it's definitely not me." There, meet him halfway, that should do it.

"How can you be so sure Yuugi?" Bakura spoke up. "Anzu, she's gentle with you, she's nurturing and supportive with you. Even when she cheered Jounouchi on in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, it wasn't the same way she cheered you on, worried about you in the finals. It, it was almost like..." Everyone's eyes were as wide as dinner plates when they saw the blush on Bakura's pale cheeks. "Like she was your wife." Having spent himself completely to get that out, Bakura quickly looked away from everyone as they sat in stunned silence.

"Well," Jounouchi was the first to get his wind back, "just goes to show that you two are practically married already so you may as well start working your way towards that, or something like that."

"You guys, I just..."

"Love Anzu more than life itself?" Honda tossed out.

"Want to be with her forever no matter what?" Otogi added onto the pile.

Something in Yuugi snapped. He stood up, his presence equaling that of his Other Self. "Everyone, I know you mean well, but I've known Anzu much longer than any of you, so when I say that we're just friends and nothing more, I mean it." He made his way back to the front door, ignoring the cries of his friends. He opened it, and was almost thrown back in shock by what he saw. "Anzu?"

Anzu narrowed her eyes. "I thought I'd find something like this. You guys are impossible!"

"Us?" Otogi put a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "You wound us with your words."

"I'll wound you with my foot up your butt," she muttered. "Is this an intervention?"

Yuugi blinked, realising the question was for him. "Uh …"

"Did these bozos call this little get-together an 'intervention'?" She made air quotes with her fingers, which seemed to irritate her when she realised what she was doing. She made a noise halfway to a growl and glared over his shoulder.

"Uh, yeah, they did," Yuugi admitted.

"I knew it! You're all in this together, aren't you?"

"I'm sure we don't know what you're talking about," Otogi replied.

"C'mon, Yuugi," Anzu said, grabbing his wrist and dragging him out the door. "Let's get out of here."

Jounouchi made ill-advised kissy noises – ill-advised because when she heard them Anzu let go of Yuugi, somehow turned on her heel and shed her shoes simultaneously, and marched across the room towards him. Jounouchi scrambled backwards; apparently realising he had made a mistake.

"Hey, Anzu," Honda started.

"Save it." Anzu yanked Jounouchi to his feet and pushed her face into his. "Do you think messing around with other people's feelings is funny, Jounouchi? Do you?"

"Uh, no."

"Do you think it would have been funny if I had stuck my oar in between you and Mai?"

"Um, you kinda did –"

"Do you think it'd be funny if you got to act as cupid to your friends, despite them not needing or wanting it?"

"Hold on, Anzu," Bakura tried to placate her.

"Save it." She turned away from Jounouchi, waving her hands. "All of you, just save it. You've insulted me, you've insulted Yuugi, and you've insulted the friendship we all share."

"Methinks she doth protest too much," Otogi stage-whispered to Honda.

Anzu turned blazing eyes on him. Yuugi recognised the look. Apparently Otogi has less survival instinct than Jounouchi. Especially since, when she stalked over, Otogi got lazily to his feet and tried to stare her down.

"Hey, Otogi," Anzu said in a deceptively calm voice. "You're a rich guy, right? You've got a lot of stuff."

He shrugged. "Your point being?"

"Well, I have something you don't have."

He smiled indolently. "And what's that?"

"Your nipples!" She reached out and twisted sharply before he could react. The usually unflappable Otogi went down like a sack of potatoes tossed out of a truck. Anzu stepped over his squealing form and headed for the door. "C'mon, Yuugi."

Yuugi, wisely, did not argue.

"Rggh, I can't believe this." Anzu marched in her decidedly Anzu fashion, arms akimbo and feet slamming against the ground. "All our friends, acting like a bunch of, of...busybodies! Don't they have anything better to do with their time."

"Anzu," Yuugi had to take more steps to match Anzu's stride, but he kept up with her all the same, "They meant well."

"Meaning and intent aren't magic. What they did was stupid and they should feel ashamed of themselves and we shouldn't let them off easy no matter what."

"We?" Yuugi couldn't help but think about what Bakura had said, about Anzu and him practically already being...he shook his head, as though to shake the thoughts out. It didn't work. "Maybe we should go to the arcade, maybe there's another jerk who needs his butt kicked at DDR?"

Anzu stopped in her tracks. "That does sound like a good idea." She looked down and appraised herself and her shoes. "At least it'll get my mind off what Mai and Shizuka tried to pull." She resumed walking.

"Mai and Shizuka?" The gears turned in Yuugi's head as he followed along. "Did, did they stage a...a thing?" He dared not mention the word itself.

"Yes, as a matter of fact they did. They were like a pair of gossipy hens trying to get me to say what they wanted without any regard for good sense and decency." Still, her righteous indignation had declined, just a bit.

"Oh." Yuugi couldn't help feeling disheartened by how strongly Anzu had felt about all this; sure, he denied it too, but it wasn't that crazy...was it? Then, before he knew it, they were in view of the arcade, where a familiar limo was parked.

"Hey, that's right, Kaiba wasn't there earlier." Suddenly Anzu had to stifle some giggles. "Man, can you imagine him trying to play cupid?" Yuugi in turn couldn't help laughing at such an incongruous image, and therefore could not really be blamed when he managed to walk right into Kaiba and fell on his back. He leaned up and rubbed at the effected area.

"Yuugi, are you okay?" She spoke with such soft concern, reached out to him with her graceful hand. Then he and she noticed that Kaiba was still standing over them, looking at them. "What?" Anzu spoke defensively.

"Get a room already."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the bodyguard who had spoken. The man was typical Kaiba fare: big-muscled, big-haired and tiny-brained. He had enough survival instinct to realise he had spoken out of turn and they were treated to the odd sight of a gigantic man in a pinstripe suit try to fade into the background of a video arcade.

Kaiba himself turned back to Yuugi and Anzu. He didn't bother with polite greetings – or any kind of greeting, actually. Instead he swept an imperious eye over them and turned his face up slightly, literally looking down his nose at them.

"Why is it, no matter how hard I try, I constantly find you underfoot?"

"Just lucky, I guess." Yuugi clambered to his feet without Anzu's help.

"I wouldn't have expected to find you in a place like this," Anzu added acerbically. "A little beneath you, a lowly arcade, isn't it?"

Kaiba's head tipped back even more. "Read the sign, Mazaki."

"Huh?"

To help her, the disgraced bodyguard jerked a thumb over his shoulder. Both she and Yuugi raised their eyes to the brand new neon sign above the entrance: KAIBARCADE.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" said Anzu.

"It's part of a chain," said the bodyguard. "Mr. Kaiba just came down to speak to the manager about keeping out the," he glared at them, "riffraff."

Anzu glared right back. Yuugi touched her arm. She was in a bad mood already and wasn't above causing a scene if she felt they were being discriminated against. She and Kaiba had butted heads numerous times over Kaiba's treatment of Yuugi, so Yuugi knew she wouldn't hesitate to tear a strip of his uppity bodyguard too.

"You can't keep us out if we want to go in," Anzu said shrilly.

Kaiba nodded. "I'm sure you'll find the facilities far better than the last time you were here."

"Well, maybe we don't want to use your 'facilities'," she replied. She folded her arms and raised her own chin.

"Use them or don't," said Kaiba with a shrug. "My life will go on. Tokato, Yukio." He crooked a finger and the two bodyguards followed him to the waiting limo.

Anzu watched him go like a storm cloud looking for a tree to ply with lightning. She was still fizzing from their friends' ministrations and their run-in with Kaiba hadn't helped. Yuugi guided her inside the arcade, hoping it would provide enough of a distraction for her to forget her anger and calm down once more.

No such luck.

"Anzu! Baby!" A tall figure in a fringed cowboy shirt pushed through the crowd towards them. "I knew you couldn't keep away, sweetheart."

"Oh, you have GOT to be KIDDING me!" Anzu muttered.

Yuugi recognised the guy, though he hadn't been in control of his body when last they met. The spirit of the Puzzle stirred as he drew closer, and Yuugi found himself filled with suspicion not his own.

"You just couldn't keep away from Johnny Steps, could you, babe?"

"Now this is an unexpected reunion." Yuugi's other self spoke for the first time since just before the ill-fated "intervention". "I wonder..."

"Johnny, do you even remember what happened the last time?" Anzu pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, 'course I do; you kicked my ass at DDR, then your dweeby little boyfriend challenged me to a game of Duel Monsters, then let slip the little detail of him being the freaking King of Games, and then you gave me a stirring lecture about not giving up on myself that I've taken to heart."

"He wasn't my boyfriend." Yuugi was probably imagining it, but he could have sworn he'd heard a slight, probably unintentional emphasis on "he".

"Eh?" Johnny then looked at Yuugi, back to Anzu, Yuugi again, and returned to Anzu for keeps. "Something's different about him, but he's definitely the same guy, and there's definitely something going on between you. That's okay though, 'cause I can see the conflict in your eyes babe, and let me tell you, I've got the confidence to resolve it for you."

"Has everyone gone mad today?" Anzu muttered to herself. Then she raised her voice. "All right, what crazy challenge do you have in mind to try and force me to be 'your girlfriend'." The last was spoken with the utmost loathing, strongest on the 'your'.

"Babe, there's nothing crazy about a challenge to a match on the brand new DDR machine." He jerked his thumb back behind himself, and both Anzu and Yuugi stared at the machine in question; It was huge, with four sets of pads for four players to use, and there were hydraulics as well, designed to lift and move the platform in complicated patterns. "If I can win, you owe me a night on the town. But, in the event that I should lose, I will be a good sport respect your wishes, crazy and misguided though they are."

"You know what? This'll be just like Yuugi said, a chance to vent my stress. You're on, Johnny."

Yuugi watched with dismay as Anzu and Johnny took to the floor. A ripple went through the crowd and the words 'grudge match echoed around him. He found himself in the unsettling position of rubbing shoulders with a guy so pierced he glittered in the neon lights, and a girl who had shaved her head and tattooed her bare scalp with skulls and snakes. They both whooped and pumped their fists.

"Now this feels familiar," said the spirit. "This is turning into a proper date at last."

"You're not helping," Yuugi muttered. The spirit's only experience of dating was the one Yuugi had set-up and a few Friday night romantic comedy movies when it had been the girls' turn to choose the DVD.

The music started; an undulating beat that whipped the crowd into a frenzy as the dancers kicked up their heels and thrust out their arms. At first the routine was slow, but it quickly picked up speed. As their feet flew and their elbows jabbed in ever more complicated moves, the floor clacked and began to move. Anzu and Johnny were forced to keep their balance in a whole new way as their respective floors joined in the dance.

"Aren't you going to cheer for her?" the spirit asked.

"I don't want to put her off," Yuugi replied. The look of concentration on Anzu's face was intense, as was the sheer joy. He thought she had never looked more beautiful; then hastily tamped down the thought, given her vehement reaction earlier.

"She always cheers for us when we duel," the spirit pointed out.

"That's different."

"How?"

"Hey, kid, you got a Bluetooth or something?" asked the pierced guy. His tongue twinkled as much as the rest of his face as he spoke. "Or are you just nuts?" He giggled in a pitch that made Yuugi wonder whether he had taken something. His eyes were all pupil and his forehead glistened with sweat.

"Look at 'em go!" hooted the bald girl. "You show him who's boss, girlfriend!"

Johnny turned a sharp hundred-and-eighty degrees, body-popped and whipped back again. He knew how to play to a crowd. They loved him – at least until Anzu transferred her feet from one place to the next via a spectacular bicycle kick. Her hair lashed behind her like a pennant in a strong breeze. By contrast, Johnny's dreds flipped heavily around his face and neck. They were each showing the strain of the punishing routine. As always, anything Kaiba touched turned into a gruelling feat instead of mere enjoyment.

"I think she's the little dude's girlfriend," said Piercing Guy.

"Seriously?" Bald Girl stopped to stare at him. "This small fry is with that tall drink of water?"

Yuugi felt the spirit bristle, as it always did when he was slighted or threatened. He drew himself up to his full height – which put him level with her armpit. He didn't correct her, but cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled encouragement.

"Come on, Anzu! You can do it!"

Bald Girl shrugged and jiggled her fists above her head. "Do it for your little man, chica! Shake that thang an' make him jealous of ol' Johnny Steps-on-Your-Heart!"

Anzu faltered. It was only a fraction of a second, but either hearing Yuugi shout, or something the girl said rang in her like a cracked bell. Her left foot diverted at the wrong moment, skidding on the slick floor. She didn't just miss a step; she went down like a mannequin falling off store display stand. Less than a minute later the DDR machine finished.

Johnny Steps hollered, a victorious lion telling his pride of his triumph. They replied in kind, surging forward like fans in the mosh pit of a rock concert. Johnny held out his hand for Anzu to grasp, and didn't seem perturbed when she got to her feet without his help.

"I'll pick you up at eight," he smirked.

"There's no way I'm telling you where I live!" Anzu protested.

"Fair's fair, princess. You owe me a date."

"Oh … fine. A deal is a deal. You didn't cheat this time, so I'll meet you here at six."

"So early!"

"I have school tomorrow," she deadpanned. If she expected that to put him off, she was sorely mistaken. As he whooped away, high-fiving any hand he could reach, she put her face in her heads.

Yuugi vaulted the bars and ran up the short staircase to her. "Anzu? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, not taking her hands away. She mumbled something near-inaudible.

"Anzu?"

She parted her fingers to look at him. "You have GOT to be KIDDING me!"

Yuugi had no idea how the day had taken such a strange and twisted turn. It was as though an author, or team of authors, had suddenly taken a perverse interest in his and Anzu's life. Whatever it was, all he could do was to deal with the situation before them. "Well, you've got a few hours to get ready. Why don't we try and make the best of a bad situation, okay?" Bad was of course such a gross understatement. The mere thought of Anzu having to go on a date with a guy like Johnny Steps made his skin cringe and crawl and crinkle all at the same time, so he had no way of grasping how it made her feel to be the one going through with it.

Anzu flared her nostrils as she inhaled sharply. "If you can handle dueling magic psychopaths out to tear out your soul and cast the world into eternal darkness, I can spend two hours with a smug jerk who's going spend half the time making bad passes at me." As Anzu stood back up, she and Yuugi were joined by the girl whose head was covered in tattoos in place of hair.

"Hey chica, hey short stuff, sorry if I distracted you earlier. I can tell you from personal experience that Johnny is best dealt with in small doses, much smaller than any proper date." The two stared awkwardly at her before she stuck her hand out. "Call me Seiko."

"I'm Anzu, he's Yuugi." Anzu accepted Seiko's hand, who shook strong and vigorously. "It's my own fault I lost, you don't have to get involved."

Seiko shook her head. "Nah, I want to get involved; you remind me of a friend I once had, makes me feel nostalgic." She then turned her head down to look Yuugi in the eyes. "You don't mind if I borrow your...friend," the word was chosen carefully, "prep her to survive Johnny Foot-in-Mouth?"

Before Yuugi could respond, his other self took over and spoke for him. "I'd be honored if you helped my dear friend in her time of need."

"Heh, smooth tongue you've got there." Then Yuugi was back in control of his own body, and any response Anzu might have made was now cut off. "Come on, there's a coffee shop across the street, they serve the best decaff mochas." Anzu shrugged and went along with the strange girl, leaving Yuugi behind with, well, himself.

"Just like in that movie we saw last week Partner, a strange but friendly stranger will help resolve this romantic entanglement."

"Other me, you do understand that real life isn't like a movie, right?" Then again, "real life" seemed to include magic and ancient spirits, so who was he to discount the possibility of opportune help from the odd stranger?

* * *

><p>"So, um … how do you know Johnny?" Anzu asked cautiously.<p>

Seiko pushed through the glass door. It jingled merrily as it hit a tiny bell on a curl of brass suspended from the ceiling. The shop was tiny, a real Mom-n'-Pop establishment. Behind the counter a monstrous, steampunk-esque machine sat like a metal god waiting for sacrifices.

"We dated a couple times," Seiko said blithely. "I'm helping you outta personal experience, girl."

"Believe me; I already have experience of Johnny Steps." Anzu's lip wrinkled involuntarily.

Seiko laughed and thumped the counter. "Yo, can we get some service out here?"

"Hold your horses, hold your horses," said a wheezy voice. A grizzled man who looked like he needed a hairnet over his greying beard ambled out from the back. He eyed Seiko and Anzu critically. "What'll it be, missy? What'll it be?"

"Two decaff mocha specials, heavy on the whipped cream topping, light on the cinnamon." Seiko glanced at Anzu. "You ain't lactose intolerant, or allergic, or nuthin', right?"

"Um, no, that'd be fine."

Anzu felt ever so slightly steamrollered by the force of Seiko's personality. The other girl reminded her of someone. She realised, as she watched her pay, that it was Mai, or the version Mai had let everyone believe in prior to Doma. Self-confidence oozed from every one of Seiko's pores, until you barely noticed her fearsome appearance.

"I'll bring it over," said the man. "I'll bring it over."

"So what do you think of Double Daisuke?" Seiko chuckled.

"Because he says everything twice?" Anzu guessed.

"Smart as a button an' twice as cute." Seiko guided them to a table and propped her chin on her hands. "Which begs the question: why the hell did a lil' gumdrop like you get involved with Johnny Step-Step-Slide?"

Anzu sighed and slid into her seat. "It's a long, boring story."

"Hey, I got nuthin' but time?"

Anzu just looked at her. She didn't know this girl from the next stranger. How could she pour out her heart and cluttered head to her? Then again, maybe Seiko's disconnection made her the perfect sounding board. Still, given the bizarre twists and turns her life and the lives of her friends often took, Anzu knew she could take nothing for granted where new people were concerned. Yuugi was very open and trusting, but over the years a grain of suspicion had embedded itself in Anzu. Unlike Yuugi, she didn't see everyone as lifelong friends waiting to happen. A potential friend could equally be a potential enemy gathering information before they struck.

"It got something to do with your boyfriend?"

Anzu snorted. She remembered what Seiko had called across the noise of the DDR machine, loud enough to make her lose her concentration and her evening. "Yuugi? He's not my boyfriend?"

"Really?" Seiko arched a tattooed-on eyebrow shaped like a snake. "Could've fooled me."

"Excuse me?"

"Chica, call me cupid, but he done got it bad for you. The way he watched you on that there DDR machine? Most girls would trade their eyeteeth for just one look like that."

"It must be something in the water," Anzu muttered. She looked dubiously at their mugs as they arrived, as if expecting the hot beverage to leap out and ram its way down her throat, shouting declarations of love and spiky hair. "Everyone's gone mad today. First our friends stage their stupid intervention, now all … this."

"Aw, girlfriend, you sound so down in the dumps." Seiko stabbed her finger into the whipped cream topping and sucked suggestively on the tip. "Tell Auntie Seiko about it. I work part-time as a counsellor at the local middle school, so I'm way used to listening while people unload."

"You're a counsellor?" Anzu said disbelievingly, before chastising herself for sounding cruel.

Seiko just laughed again. "Don't exactly look the part, right? But you'd be surprised how many kids would rather talk to a gorgeous artistic mistress like moi than some stuffy old dude in a suit. When I'm not at the school, I work at the senior centre. That's how I met Double Daisuke." She nodded at his retreating back. "His wife lives there. Parkinson's. We carpool most days. I've heard some stories that'd make your teeth curls, your fingernails split and your nose hair set on fire." She grinned.

Anzu frowned a little. Her jumbled brain clawed at her like a cat toying with a half-dead mouse, sighing, she leaned forward. Maybe if she just left out the magical, end-of-the-world, going-to-land-you-in-a-mental-institution-if-the-authorities-hear-about-it parts … "Well, you see, Yuugi and I have known each other for a long time, but we're just friends. Honestly, we are. The rest of our friendship group is pretty close-knit, but this morning they overstepped their bounds by staging what they called an 'intervention' …"

* * *

><p>Yuugi sighed and toed the dirt. He cut a pretty pathetic figure, alone on a park bench feeding the pigeons. He had bought himself a sandwich for lunch but only picked at it. The birds pecked hungrily, knowing from experience that if the park keeper came along he would shoo them all away.<p>

How had this day turned out so weird? And depressing? Could you get a blend of the two? Wepressing, perhaps, or deird? Yuugi crumbled bread between his fingers and sighed again.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

His head snapped up. "Jounouchi?"

Jounouchi and Honda stood on the other grassy bank, right next to the 'DO NOT WALK ON THE GRASS' sign. Jounouchi stalked over, Honda following in his wake.

"After all the hard work we put into this morning, and all the blood, sweat and tears, you're sitting here ALONE?" Jounouchi demanded.

"Where's Anzu?" Honda asked.

"Long story," Yuugi replied. Before they could enquire, he cut in, "How's Otogi?"

"Bruised. The blood, sweat and tears were his. Apparently he just shaved his chest this morning, so he was pretty tender when Anzu tried to de-nipple him."

"He tried to get Shizuka to rub ice on his chest," Jounouchi said darkly. "But that's beside the point. Why the hell aren't you and Anzu playing kissy-face already? She didn't try to de-nipple you too, did she?"

"Like she'd ever do something like that to Yuugi?" Honda murmured.

"Shush, you." Jounouchi put his hands on the back of the bench either side of Yuugi's head and leaned in close. "What happened, buddy? Don't tell me she shot you down." He seemed genuinely concerned.

"Not … in so many words."

"So where is she now?"

"Getting advice."

"Advice? Like from one of those fortune telling booth robots things?"

"No. From a girl."

"But Mai and Shizuka are still at her apartment." Jounouchi grimaced. "They, uh, don't know we came looking for you guys – but we wanted to make sure you were following the plan!"

"The plan?" Yuugi echoed.

"Yeah, the plan. The plan where you two finally get a clue and live happily ever after! So where is she, and why do you look like someone ran over you dog with a truck?"

Yuugi stared up at Jounouchi. There was no point in lying. It would only be worse later if he did. "She's getting ready for her date."

"Yes!" Jounouchi pumped the air with a fist.

"Wait a second," said Honda. "HER date?"

"Yes." Yuugi picked out a chunk of bread and threw it to where the pigeons used to be. He heard cooing from the trees behind them. The birds would return after they were gone, so it was worth leaving food for them. "Her date."

"But not your date."

"No."

"Yuugi," Jounouchi said slowly, "if she ain't dating you, who is she dating?"

Yuugi winced. "Johnny Steps."

"That idiot from the arcade? But he's, like, twenty-one or something ancient like that! This is unbelievable. She's supposed to date YOU, not HIM." Jounouchi shook his head. "Unbe-freaking-LIEVABLE! We gotta sabotage it or something! There is NO way Anzu can go on a date with that jerk!"

"She lost a bet." Yuugi winced again. "He beat her at DDR. Now she has to go on a date with him. And he didn't cheat," he added, before they could ask. "It's legitimate."

"Oh, that sounds romantic," Jounouchi huffed.

* * *

><p>"You know your friend, the one whose nipples you almost took off?" Seiko took a slow sip of her mocha, making sure the remaining half would last as long as possible.<p>

"Otogi?" Anzu did not look forward to their next encounter, and tried to distract herself with her own drink, which was rather good truth be told. Seiko definitely had talent as a counselor, Anzu somehow found it easy to give up even the little details to her.

"I think he may have been onto something with his 'lady doth protest too much' crack; now don't interrupt me, I haven't finished speaking. The fact of the matter is that you've been working yourself up all day insisting that your friend is nothing but, and that's not something people do if they really feel the way they say they do. I do get your worries, all that history and stuff you mentioned, but you need to step out of your own shoes and take a look at how things are from another point of view. You'd be surprised at the things you learn that way."

"Like that I'm in love with my best friend who I was saving from bullies before it was cool?" Anzu spoke with sarcasm, then paused, like something felt off.

"It's a classic story on the school yard; granted, its usually the guys saving the gals, but I've seen tough stubborn chicas like you pulling through for their kind gentle ninos once or twice." Seiko then grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the corner of her lip. "Ah, I've got it, has anyone ever shown interest in Yuugi, the interest you keep saying you don't have in him?"

"Wh, what? No, that's crazy!" Unfortunately, Seiko's question had come from such an unexpected angle that Anzu was unable to block the blush that came with the memory of a certain genius girl who she otherwise got along with surprisingly well.

"Bingo." Seiko said with a smirk of victory. "Someone has, and more than once, it's all over your face, and you didn't like it one little bit. You didn't think the chica in question was good enough for your man, did you?"

"No, no, she was just a kid with a crush, some American prodigy with plenty of brain but not enough sense." Just the thought of that girl, of Rebecca Hopkins clinging to Yuugi's arm, calling him 'darling', it set her teeth on edge.

"Ooh, an American, your man definitely has a surprising amount of charm." Seiko's chuckle did nothing to diffuse Anzu's mounting stress.

"Hey, there's nothing surprising about Yuugi's charm." Silence for a moment, then Anzu gaped, hand over mouth as her face turned pale.

"Nothing surprising? So you've seen his charm, and liked it then? Because that's the only way what you just said makes any sense at all." Now her smirk was one of triumph.

Anzu felt something give, after spending so much of the day so very tense and on the defensive, she'd finally been outmaneuvered, forced into the open with nowhere to hide.

"Fine, you got me, I'm in love with my best friend."

"And now that that's out of the way, we can work on making sure you survive the night with Johnny Born-with-a-rusty-spoon-in-his-mouth."

* * *

><p>Anzu stared at herself in the mirror. She turned a full circle, glancing behind her every few seconds. Her expression became increasingly disconsolate. "It's very …"<p>

"Fabulous?" Seiko supplied. "Awesome? Wonderful? Magnificent? The best thing since sliced bread?"

"Unusual," Anzu said diplomatically.

Seiko grinned. "It's not meant to be pretty, girl. Well, it is, but a very special kinda prettiness."

The kind that induces vomiting? Anzu wondered. She could see Seiko's point: the object of this evening was to endure until she could make a reasonable getaway. The ideas was NOT to encourage Johnny in any way, shape or form. Unfortunately that meant dressing accordingly. Anzu was usually proud of the way she dressed. She lived on a shoestring budget; every yen she earned delivered into a bank account simply called 'America Money'. This had developed into an individual style, facilitated by trips to thrift stores, charity shops and copious browsing for bargains online. However, even by her standards, this outfit was hideous.

Seiko clapped her hands. "I'm thinking a wraparound scarf. With tassels." She made a small screen out of her forefingers and thumbs, holding it up at Anzu contemplatively. "Or maybe sequins. Yeah, sequins would really set it all off. Where are you going tonight, anyhow?"

"I don't know. Johnny's meeting me at the arcade at six." Anzu consulted her watch. That gave her three hours.

"Figures," Seiko said. "That bandito always likes to show off his mad skills." She struck a wannabe gangsta pose that set Anzu giggling. "There you go, sweetheart. You need to show off those pearly whites more often. You look better when you smile than when you frown."

"I haven't had much to smile about today."

"You met me, didn't you? And you finally confronted your heart." Seiko clutched her chest dramatically and pretended to swoon. "You're like a regular Disney Princess or something. Just don't break into song or start skipping along with cute fuzzy animals at your heels. I may puke if you do. All right!" She clapped her hands again. "First neckwear, then shoes! Johnny hates girls who are taller than him. He has that whole macho thing going on. How are you at walking in platforms?"

Anzu glanced at the layers upon layers she was already wearing, which disguised her figure better than a full-body hologram. Did they have to be that particular eyeball-burning shade of pink? She supposed Seiko knew what she was doing. Anzu sighed. "What have I got to lose?"

* * *

><p>"Paintball guns."<p>

"No."

"Stink bombs."

"No."

"Flour-and-syrup missiles."

"No."

"A fake fire drill."

"No."

"Jounouchi!" Honda snapped. "Give it a rest!"

"Not until I figure out the perfect way to spoil Anzu's date." Jounouchi tapped his chin thoughtfully. "How about one of your nephew's stinky diapers, Honda?"

"No!" Yuugi said for what felt like the millionth time. "It's not a real date. Anzu lost the DDR duel and this was the forfeit. You've both seen enough duels to know that you can't go back on your word, whether you win or lose. We can't interfere."

Jounouchi grumbled into his soda can. He crumpled it under his foot and tossed it into a trash can. By his feet, a flock of pigeons billed and cooed. One pecked at his shoelace, thinking it was a worm. It was a long way down from the intimidating bully he used to be. "This blows, man."

"You don't have to tell him," Honda said, nodding at Yuugi.

"This wouldn't have happened if you'd both listened to us at the start."

"Dude, not helping."

"I'm just saying," Jounouchi said folding his arms.

* * *

><p>Johnny Steps looked down at his watch and saw the time, 5:58 P.M. Just a couple more minutes and she'd be there, the hot babe who'd changed his life. She'd told him to stop giving up on himself and making excuses, and damn if he didn't. He hadn't made it big yet, but he knew that opportunity was just around the corner, and he was going to show her for sure. Then he checked himself in the glass of the arcade and polished his teeth with his tongue, satisfied by the squeak he got. "Johnny, tonight you're making all the right moves."<p>

"For our sake, I hope you do." Ah, there was that familiar fierce voice he'd been waiting for.

"Anzu, babe, you look..." And then Johnny actually looked at her and had no idea what to think. In his mind it was not possible for a girl of Anzu's build, physique, and face to look bad, and yet that shade of pink, all those layers, and...were those sequins?

"I look...?" Crap, she caught him freezing up. Not good!

"Unique." There, that was accurate, and not negative. If she was testing him with that outfit, then he damn well passed with flying colors.

"Hmm." She was appraising him and his words. Johnny wasn't worried though, by the time the night was over she'd realize he was way better boyfriend materiel than the shrimp, King of Games or not. "So, where are we eating?"

"There's a Korean place not far from here, the owner owes me a favor, broke up some punks who were making trouble for him and his kid, no big." Okay, it wasn't quite so grand as that, but there was truth enough to it, enough for Anzu to see his heroic side.

"That sounds okay." Damn, was she being tough or what? That was okay though, he knew this was going to be a challenge, one that he would come out on top of.

* * *

><p>"Ah, here you are." Though her focus was on the short kid with the triple-toned hair, she spoke to all three of them, the blond and the pointy hair. "I just got done getting your 'friend'" she said with finger quotes, "ready to survive the night, so I figure I may as well do a little more meddling on your side of the equation." Yuugi stared up at her while the others blinked in silence. Then the pointy hair turned to Yuugi.<p>

"Uh, do you know this...lady, Yuugi?" Carefully chosen words, he was a smart one. He'd go far in life.

"Kind of, Honda. Jounouchi, Honda, this is Seiko. Anzu and I met her after the...thing, and she offered to help her out."

"And now it's your turn, my sharp-haired Nino. Because when she gets back, she's going to have a few things to say to you, and you need to know what to say in return. You guys don't mind if I borrow your friend for a little bit, do you?" The two shook their heads. "Good. Come on Yuugi, this won't take long." The two left the park, leaving two behind.

"Honda." Jounouchi said, once more breaking the silence. "Is it wrong that I'd be okay if Mai shaved her head and got tons of tattoos?"

"Dude, don't get any weirder than you already are."

Yuugi wasn't sure what to make of Seiko. In what seemed like no time at all, she had integrated herself into a very personal situation and seemed perfectly at home meddling in it as if she had been their friend all her life. He wondered why Anzu hadn't reacted to her the way she had with their real friends earlier that day; Seiko didn't have the same shared history, but rather than cast her as an outsider, that had apparently earned her more of Anzu's trust than … well, even him. He sat, stunned, as Seiko related the events that had taken place since he saw her last.

"She … really said that?"

"Yup. But you have to look surprised when she tells you."

"You're sure she wasn't kidding?"

"Much truth spoken in jest, small fry. Chickadee has some major issues about love confessions; it's taken her this long to get a running start, so let her do things her own way or they won't happen any way at all."

Yuugi ran his hand through his bangs, trying to ignore the spirit's triumphant chuckle. "Maybe," he said into Yuugi's mind, "if you hadn't set me up with Anzu, and had instead gone on that date yourself, this would have taken place a long time ago."

Seiko cocked her head to one side, studying Yuugi. "You've really got it bad for her, don't you?"

Yuugi blushed. He couldn't help it. The spirit wasn't helping. "I-I don't' … um … I mean, we aren't … uh …" Finally he gave up. "Is it that obvious?"

Seiko grinned. "As tits on a frog."

Yuugi blinked, nonplussed. "Uh …"

"Never mind." She consulted her watch. "Right, okay, around about now Johnny One-Step-Short-of-a-Routine and your lady love will be … three, two, one … there." She pointed to the corner of the street.

Sure enough, Anzu and Johnny came into view. Anzu was a vision in a bright pink frock that looked like it had languished in someone's closet since the late eighties. She teetered in stilt-like heels but refused to let Johnny take her arm to help her stay upright. Instead she walked with her arms folded, radiating 'Don't Even Think About Touching Me' vibes until they were practically a smell in the air. Unfortunately Johnny had lost his sense of smell, as he kept trying to brush up against her in a way that made Yuugi's insides twist unpleasantly.

"Is that jealousy, aibou?" the spirit asked. "I'm not sure. I've never felt this kind of emotion from you." Perversely, he sounded proud.

"We aren't going to spy on them, are we?" Yuugi asked Seiko in an effort to distract himself.

"'Spy' is such a negative word," Seiko said blithely. "'Act as a safety net' is so much better."

"What do you mean –?"

"Hush now." She held a finger to her lips and pretended to be absorbed in the newspaper she had bought, it was a spreadsheet, the pages so massive they easily covered both their faces. Seiko, having watched one too many secret agent movies, had poked four tiny holes for them to peer through.

"C'mon, babe," they heard Johnny wheedle. "So you didn't like the movie. We can do something else."

"You already tried doing something else," Anzu replied tightly. "That was why I walked out of the theatre. And I told you back then to keep your hands to yourself!"

He drew back his arm from where he had tried to sling it around her shoulder and shrugged. "No worries, I can wait."

Anzu muttered something inaudible.

"I never kid, sweetheart," Johnny replied. "Soon you'll be begging for a bit of Johnny Steps. You'll see."

Anzu rolled her eyes skywards. "Give me strength."

"You'll need it," Johnny said with a Cheshire Cat grin. "If you don't like movies, we'll do something even better."

"I dread to think what you have planned."

He tapped the side of his nose. "Wait and see."

"Do I have a choice?" Anzu discreetly checked her watch. Unfortunately, less than an hour had passed since the start of their date.

After they had turned down another street, Yuugi looked up at Seiko. He guessed Anzu's outfit was her idea. He hoped her next idea was more effective. "Do we follow them?"

"That depends. He's going down Lake Street. If he'd gone down Bleaker Avenue they'd be on their way to the museum. He goes there when he wants girls to think he's cultured and junk."

"What's down Lake Street?" Yuugi asked cautiously.

* * *

><p>"Ice skating?" Anzu demanded. She dropped her voice to a low shriek when she realised they were garnering attention. "You really expect me to go ice skating?" She gestured at herself. "In this dress?"<p>

"It'll be awesome." Johnny was completely untroubled by her dismay. He bounded up the short staircase to the indoor ice arena, jumped back down and tried to take her hand. When she whipped it back he got behind her and somehow herded her before him as she tried to avoid even the slightest touch. "It's like dancing, only faster."

"I know what ice skating is! That's why I know what a moronic idea it is to –"

"You can rent some gear," he insisted. "they do it all the time for people who try to go out on the ice in tank tops and stuff." He spoke with the certainty of experience. "C'mon, babe, it'll be a blast."

"All right Johnny," Anzu didn't bother coming up with a quip in place of Steps, she had run out of patience for anything like that, "I'll tell you what; I'll ice skate, but that's the end of this date, okay? If you haven't wooed me after this, it is never going to happen and you're going to stop being so damn pushy, got it."

Somehow, an inkling of it managed to bore its way through Johnny Steps powerful self image, giving him pause much like the last time they'd parted ways. "You know what babe? You got a deal, 'cause if you're not wowed after this, then you and the other guy are like this," he wrapped his pointer finger and index finger around each other, "No matter how weird and crazy and aiming way too low for someone like you that may be."

"...You promise?"

"Hey, you've kept your word, I'd be a true ass if I didn't keep mine." He then made his way to the counter. "Yo, Mr. Slice, I need a set of skates for me and my lady friend, and some proper clothes for the occasion too."

"Sure thing Johnny." 'Mr. Slice', as Johnny called him, seemed a blase fellow who took life as it came and questioned nothing. "Miss, I do have a fair selection right behind here, if you'd like to take a look."

Anzu, deciding to try and have some fun in all this, complied.

* * *

><p>Yuugi couldn't stop starring; not even Johnny's jackass behavior could detract from Anzu as she moved like a painting, the sound of her skates cutting into the ice like a song. Her face was stern and focused, yet that grim determination made her only more beautiful in his eyes, the sight of a woman who would never back down no matter what.<p>

"Nice going Chica." Seiko whistled. "Now that's how you show up Johnny come-lately, make him see how superfluous he is to you." Indeed, whenever he tried to turn her solo into a duet, she always gracefully slid away, her iron will more than a match for his ambitions.

After thirty minutes or so, the two emerged from the ring. "Let me guess, you don't want another go?" Anzu firmly shook her head. "Damn, never figured that was possible on the first date. Oh well, fish in the sea and all that, right?" Now humbled, Johnny no longer looked quite so skeevy. Quite. "I've got a message for you to pass onto your little friend; better make sure you never disappoint her, you're going to regret it a long damn time."

"I...suppose I could tell him that."

"That's all I ask babe." He turned and walked away, right past Seiko and Yuugi without realizing it. Then he shouted over his shoulder, "Remember, you ever change your mind, Johnny Steps will always be ready to walk down the road of your love." And with that he was gone, unable to see Anzu hacking in response to the unbearable cheesiness of his last line.

"Well, looks like your friend handled it perfectly well on her own. Now's your turn to seal the deal little man. Good luck!" Seiko then walked away, out of Yuugi and Anzu's life as suddenly as she'd entered.

* * *

><p>"Anzu?"<p>

She nearly stumbled. "Y-Yuugi?"

He was standing at the edge of the rink, just staring at her. He had waited for her to glide past before speaking, which meant he might have been there for a while. Anzu was instantly struck by a feeling of discomfort and embarrassment. She had borrowed a set of sweatpants and an ugly jumper that nonetheless kept her warm. To say she wasn't looking her best was an understatement.

Not that you could tell from Yuugi's expression. "You look … beautiful."

"Uh, no I don't," she corrected. "I look hideous, but that was kind of the point." She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing here? Were you stalking us?"

"No." He paused guiltily. "Yes. Well, Seiko was, but she's gone now."

"Where?"

"You know, she didn't say."

Anzu wasn't sure whether to thank her or curse her. Instead she did neither. "Would you like to skate? It's open to everyone for the next half hour; then they have hockey training and we all get thrown out."

Yuugi looked down at the ice. "I'm … not very good," he said. "I fall down. A lot. But you're good. Really good. You always used to skate when we were in elementary school, but I didn't think you kept it up."

"I didn't, but it's like riding a bike. You never really forget." She turned a tiny pirouette and held out her hand to him. "C'mon, we'll go slow."

"I don't know. Couldn't we just walk around the floor and pretend we're on the ice?"

"I won't let you fall, Yuugi."

He met her eyes and she saw the trust written there. "Okay," he said, and put one foot out onto the slippery surface.

While not the most studious student, Yuugi did enjoy reading every so often. One time he read a book about the human body and how ill-suited it was for bipedal movement and what a marvel it was that people tripped only as often as they did and not much more. In attempting to ice skate with Anzu, he felt like he was splitting the difference with her, taking up whatever clumsiness she had, forcing her to be true to her word and catch him more than once.

"See Yuugi, I'm not letting you fall." That she was, though it did require them to stay very close at all times, often touching. They both blushed, and Yuugi couldn't help noticing the way her touch lingered past what was needed to restore his meager balance. All at once Yuugi felt immensely lucky and horribly unworthy. Despite what his friends said, despite what his other self believed, despite Seiko's machinations on their behalf, he still found it so hard to believe that Anzu liked him at all the way he liked her; he understood exactly why it was he loved her, but for the life of him he couldn't see what it was about him that Anzu could feel the same way in turn.

"Anzu, have I ever mentioned how...how grateful I am, for you?" Yuugi said after he began moving again under his own power. Anzu nodded, eyes closed with a look of sweet reminiscence on her face.

"Well, I'm really glad that you're a part of my life Yuugi. I don't think I've ever told you how much you've changed me."

"Huh?" Not only had she not, Yuugi had no idea what Anzu meant by that.

"I used to be so selfish and shallow, and truthfully I still am a bit selfish, my heart just isn't as big as yours, but its definitely grown." So drawn in by her words, Yuugi skated subconsciously, smoothly. "It's the same with everyone else Yuugi, you've helped us all grow so much, become the kind of people you think we are. Most people can't do that, change people like that, and that makes you special."

"Wow, Anzu, I-whoa!" In that moment his skates got caught on the ice, causing him to pitch forward. Anzu, torn from her reverie, rushed in to catch, but overextended herself in the process.

"Well, this still counts as catching you, I guess." She said as she lay on her back on the ice, with Yuugi on top of her. Anzu just couldn't help laughing at how ridiculous it all was.

* * *

><p>Yuugi tried hard not to think about which bits of himself were pressing against Anzu. He was all too aware of how soft his landing had been, and the fact his midriff had been cushioned by her chest, which also put his butt pointing upwards and scant inches form her face. He scrambled backward, but froze more solid than the ice when his hand sank into something soft and warm.<p>

Oh hell. He was touching Anzu's boob. No, he was GROPING her boob!

"I'm sorry!" he squeaked. He opted for rolling away, which didn't help. A pair of other skaters had to part to go around him. "Sorry!" he said again, not sure who he was apologising to anymore. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!"

"Yuugi!" Anzu tried to snap him out of it. "It's okay. Look, skating's fun, but how about we call it quits now?"

Yuugi shook his head. "You're enjoying yourself."

"I'll only enjoy myself if you're enjoying it too. There's no point if I know you're miserable."

"I'm not miserable. I'm here with you." The words slipped out before he could stop them. Yuugi wanted to snatch them out of the air and shove them back into his mouth.

Anzu's expression crystallised for a moment. Yuugi honestly couldn't tell what she was thinking, but several emotions flickered behind her eyes. Eventually she got to her feet, grabbed the side and held out her hand to him. He took it hesitantly, not wanting to pull her over again. His hand still tingled from her warmth.

"Look," Anzu murmured, "we need to talk, but not here. How about a decaff mocha? I was recently introduced to a place …"

* * *

><p>The coffee shop bell jingled on its curl of brass. The air smelled heavenly and the steam helped take off the last of the chill from the ice rink. Yuugi stared around at the old-fashioned décor, which looked caught between 1920s Paris, thrift store chic and that part of the attic you never went to but knew you should sort out sometime. Anzu went straight up to the counter like she had been coming in here forever, but there was nobody there to take their order.<p>

"Hello?" she called.

Yuugi spotted a tiny push-button bell, of the sort found in hotels, smack dab in the middle of the counter. He indicated it and Anzu dropped her palm on it a few times. The chime rang out loudly – seeming even louder since the place was empty apart from them.

"Hello?" Anzu called again.

When nobody answered for a second time, Yuugi tugged at her sleeve. "It's okay," he said. "We can go someplace else." The coffee or where they sat wasn't important. What was important was the talk she had mentioned. He remembered what Seiko had told him and his stomach rolled a little. Could this be it? What else could it be?

Anzu looked sidelong at him. "I can hear someone moving around back there."

"Anzu, honestly, it's not important."

"But it is," she replied, slightly frantically. Yuugi peered up into her face and saw that she was nervous. Anzu was actually nervous! "It is important," she added. "This is … important." She wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Anzu –"

"I said back at the rink that you changed me when you became my friend," she blurted. "I'm not a big fan of change. I never have been. I like little changes, sure, but big ones? No. The thought of upheavals in my life fills me with the kind of dread that makes me want to puke. I like my life the way it is. If it isn't broken, why fix it, right? But then … then things happen, and other things happen, and you kind of get swept up in what's happening, and it's not until you stop to think about what's going on that you realise stuff may have changed already while you weren't paying attention, and now you have to deal with that when you're totally not prepared and … and …" She did look a little green.

"Becoming my friend made you want to puke?"

She loosed a tiny laugh, but stopped when someone finally appeared at the counter. Yuugi was not a violent person, but he wanted to shove the barista boy back where he came from so Anzu would finish what she was saying. He had waited too long for this to have it interrupted by some stranger now.

"Sorry about the wait," the barista said. "Problem with the dishwasher. I'm the only one in today, so I had to fix it or we'd have no cups for the evening rush."

""Two decaff mocha specials, heavy on the whipped cream topping, light on the cinnamon," Anzu said gratefully. Yuugi had agreed to let her order before they got here, so he was willing to go along with her choice.

The barista rang it up and told them the price as he plucked two gigantic white ceramic mugs from a stack and flipped a switch on the monstrous looking machine behind him. Steam shot into the air and the bittersweet smell of coffee percolated around them. Anzu leaned forward a little, as if trying to peer into the back room.

"So … Mr. Daisuke went home?"

The barista looked at her strangely.

"Only, I was in here earlier today and he served me and my, uh, friend when we came in at lunchtime."

"I don't think so, honey."

"What?"

The barista shook his head. "Mr. Aikahara couldn't have served you today or any other day."

"Why not?"

"You're not a regular, are you?"

"No, I'm not. What does that have to do with it?"

"Well, if you were a regular, you'd know that Daisuke Aikahara died three months ago."

Anzu's mouth dropped open. "B-But he couldn't have. He was right here. I saw him!"

But the barista was shaking his head again. "Look, sweetheart, I don't know who you thought you saw, but I'm the only one who's been on shift since this morning, and I never served you. At lunchtime I was on the phone to the repairman about the dishwasher, so you probably thinking about someplace else."

"But … no, it was … here," Anzu said uncertainly, looking around. "I was sure we came here. My friend called him Double Daisuke."

"Double Daisuke?" the barista said sharply.

"Um, yes?"

"Is this a prank?"

"What?"

"Are you trying to pull something? Because that is SO not funny, girlfriend." He clicked his fingers aggressively. Yuugi hadn't even realised that was possible until this moment. "Who are you?"

"Um, my name's Anzu."

"And I'm Yuugi Mutou," Yuugi added.

"Yuugi Mutou? The King of Games?" As if noticing him for the first time, the barista's eyes shone and he reached out to pump Yuugi's hand up and down enthusiastically. "I'm SUCH fan of yours! I never got to go to Duellist Kingdom, but I SO wanted to when I heard how you won out of, like, NOWHERE. I caught practically all your duels during Battle City and my internet pen pal, Gerard, went to Kaiba Grand Prix and sent me the choicest video clips of you and all the hottest duellists there. That Siegfried Von Schroeder – mmm!" He punched his own chest with a fist, which was apparently an act of appreciation. "I can't believe I'm actually serving you coffee! Now the decaff thing makes sense. You need to stay sharp in case you're challenged to a random duel, right? I'll bet that happens all the time. Can't be too jumpy or you'll lose your cool in the face of danger."

"Uh, right," Yuugi said dubiously. "Do you mind me asking, why do you think Anzu is playing a prank on you?"

"Oh, that? Because only one person was ever allowed to call Mr. Aikahara 'Double Daisuke', and there's no way she'd be in here today. The rest of us were too scared – he was a gruff old coot. You'd think he had a heart of stone unless you saw him with his wife. She has Parkinson's Disease. A real tragic story. She still lives at the old folk's home. Mr. Aikahara was driving out there to see her three months ago when the car he was in got broadsided by a truck. No survivors." The barista shook his head, sadly this time. "The carers say she still sits by the window waiting for him to pull up, only he never will."

Anzu's eyes had gone wide. "Who was driving?"

"Huh?"

"The car. Who was driving the car? Was it Mr. Aikahara?"

"Uh, no, he couldn't drive anymore. Glaucoma. He carpooled most days with this awesome chick – she was this total romantic who went out of her way to make sure he never missed a date with his wife. On Valentine's Day she bought balloons and teddy bears and stuff for him to take to her, which he grumped about, but you could totally tell he appreciated it."

"Was she called Seiko?" Anzu asked.

"So you DID know her?" The barista's eyes darkened. "You're sick, you know that? Seiko was fantastic and you have no right to bring her into any weird-ass jokes. Which. Aren't. Even. Funny." He punctuated each of these last words with a finger-snap, after which he finished preparing their mochas and plunked them on a tray, delivering the change from Anzu's money with bad grace. He glared as Anzu took the tray, but finger-waved to Yuugi. "If you ever wanna, like, hang out or anything, just come by here. We can talk and, y'know, whatever." He giggled coquettishly.

"Uh, thanks," Yuugi said, chasing Anzu into a booth.

"An interesting development, aibou," the spirit whispered into his mind. "Can you really argue against fate when I am not the only spirit endeavouring to bring you two to your rightful happiness?"

Yuugi sat down across from Anzu, but neither of them reached for their mugs.

"Talk about an intervention," Yuugi said at last.

Anzu looked at Yuugi. Yuugi looked at Anzu. The implications of what they had just leaned ricocheted between them. Eventually they both opened their mouth and the words that emerged arrived fully formed, as if there was no way they could have said anything else at that moment.

"You have GOT to be kidding!"

* * *

><p>"Okay, I think I should say this now, before the Anthropomorphic Personification of Fate itself decides that we're still dragging our feet and tries its hand at shoving us together." Anzu then took a deep sip from her mocha before bringing the mug back down on the table. "Yuugi, I love you, as more than just a friend. I'm not sure exactly when my feelings for you changed, but this is how they've been for a while." Anzu sighed and exhaled. "Like I said before, I don't like change, especially big changes like this, but trying to act like it hasn't happened when it so clearly has, as everyone and everything insisted on telling us today, that really doesn't work." One more sip of her mocha. "So, there it is, I think you're absolutely wonderful and would like to spend the rest of my life with you. There, that should convince the universe that it can stop meddling, thank you very much."<p>

Yuugi couldn't help blinking in shock. It...wasn't a traditional love confession, but then again, nothing about this day or even their lives had ever been particularly traditional. Then his jaw resumed working, so he spoke his own words. "Well, I love you too Anzu, and I've known it for a long time, I know just when it started." He blushed as the memory came to him of its own accord, it was her eleventh birthday and he wanted to get her just the right gift more than anything in the whole world. "I, never thought that you'd ever feel the same way for me, and I've never been so glad to be wrong about anything in my whole life. So, if you'll let me be with you, I'll do my best to make sure we're both happy." An awkward pause. "You got that universe? We don't need any more help." The two laughed and finished their mocha before taking off together, hand in hand and identical blushes on their cheeks.

* * *

><p>"Well … that was anticlimactic." Jounouchi blew his bangs from his eyes and folded his arms under his chin.<p>

Beside him, Honda leaned away from the wall and linked his hands behind his head. "What were you expecting? It's Yuugi and Anzu. They were never gonna be all melodramatic and Romeo and Juliet about it."

"Thank hell. Romeo and Juliet ended up dead."

"You actually paid attention to that in class?"

"Shut up, man."

"I'm just saying," Honda shrugged. "Oh, I get it. You just liked ogling that chick in the movie version."

"Her head totally should've exploded when she shot herself at point blank range like that. No way she just gets a pretty little perfect hole in her temple."

"You're sick, dude."

"I said shut UP."

"Good advice for both of you."

As one, they whirled around. "Mai? Shizuka?"

"Hey." Shizuka gave a little finger wave – at least until Mai stepped in front of her like some kind of protective lioness defending her cub. "We were worried."

"About us?" Honda said hopefully.

"No, about the ozone layer," Mai snapped. "About Yuugi and Anzu, you idiots."

"Oh." Honda couldn't keep the disappointment out of his voice.

By contrast, Jounouchi puffed up his chest and said proudly, "All taken care of. One set of lovebirds, checked off the list."

Mai raised an eyebrow. "You actually got them together."

"Sure."

"Well, we kinda helped," Honda corrected. "They did a lot of it on their own. Oh, and Johnny Steps was a bit-player."

"Johnny Steps?" Shizuka echoed. "That guy at the arcade who always plays DDR? Anzu told me about him."

Mai sighed and shook her head. "Knowing you two, you managed to screw everything up and somehow it got fixed so you can take credit."

"Hey!"

"That's harsh."

"No, what's harsh is being stopped in the street by some random bald tattooed chick who SOMEHOW knows my name and tells me my boyfriend would like me to shave my head." Mai eyeballed Jounouchi. "Care to elaborate?"

"Um …" Jounouchi trailed off nervously. "Eh heh. Heh. Heh …"

* * *

><p>Natsumi Aikahara sat in her chair by the window. She knew in her heart of hearts that her husband wasn't coming, but she couldn't NOT wait for him. It was a silly compulsion, but every visiting time she asked an attendant to wheel her to her selected spot and sat as if someone really was coming to see her. It was better than watching the other old folks and their families, knowing they felt sorry for the lonely old dear who obviously had nobody to care about her anymore. Pretending was preferable to that.<p>

Getting old was the pits. She had taken to looking through all her old photo albums, when her hands weren't shaking too badly for her to hold them. Pictures of Daisuke and herself when they were young, when he had courted her and brought her flowers every day for a month just to make her agree to a first date. They had never had any children, but their life had been happy and fulfilling regardless.

And now she was alone.

Someone tapped her shoulder. Stiffly, she turned to look. One of the nurses smiled down at her.

"You have visitors," she said.

"Who, me?" Natsumi blinked. "I think you're mistaken."

"No, they were very specific."

The nurse gestured behind her to two young people Natsumi had never seen before in her life. The girl was tall and graceful, the boy tiny and sprouting the oddest hair. These teenagers and their dyes – and was that eyeliner he was wearing?

"Hi, Mrs. Aikahara," said the girl. "You don't know us, but –"

"You're right," Natsumi interrupted. "Who are you?"

"My name is Yuugi Mutou, ma'am." The boy, despite his appearance, was well-spoken and bowed as he introduced himself.

"And I'm Anzu Mazaki." The girl did likewise. "As I was saying, you don't know us, but we kinda knew your husband."

"You knew Daisuke?"

"I'll just leave you three alone to get acquainted," the nurse said, spotting her colleague gesturing across the room. Apparently Mr. Fuu had gotten himself locked in his en suite again and needed rescuing. "Remember, Natsumi, you need your pills in half an hour."

"I remember," Natsumi said tartly. "I have Parkinson's, not dementia."

"Righty tighty," the nurse replied irritatingly brightly.

"When I say we knew your husband," the teenage girl said, "I actually mean I met him once. But we're friends of Seiko."

Natsumi instantly softened, though she was still wary. "Seiko," she murmured. That explained the odd hair and abundance of chains. What an odd necklace the boy was wearing. "Such a shame."

"Yeah," the girl agreed. "We miss her too."


End file.
